talk to me, dance with me
by keem
Summary: Rouge does what she does best - seduce unwary boys. And this time, she's set her sights on Sonic the Hedgehog.


_A/N: the last of my one-shots before i return to _tranquilize_, and possibly the weirdest pairing i've tried my hand at. it is especially amusing to read while listening to "i can make you dance" by zapp and roger. enjoy. _

---

so perfect you paint it, yet so manipulated.

so calm and so patient, yet oh so calculated.

so safe and comforting, this doesn't feel like flirting.

so fun i'm distracted, forgot you keep track of it.

talk to me, dance with me here in the spotlight

talk to me, dance with me here

you're the spotlight, girl.

- hot hot heat

**talk to me, dance with me**

He wondered why he had never noticed her before.

She was an individual who demanded the attention of those around her; a woman's whose raw sensuality captivated the audience every time she went outside. She was all leg, with thighs sleek and taut from years of kick-boxing, and her ample breasts stretched the tube top she wore to the point that it was indecent. Her heavy-lidded eyes gave her a haughty look; she would bat her eyelashes at others flirtaciously as she spoke, spinning a web with her blatant sexuality that would draw unsuspecting prey in. This was one of several different subtle techniques she would use to entrance people before trading it in for outright seduction, brutal and efficient. She had picked up many of these cute little tricks and more over the years as she perfected her skills as an international jewel thief. She was an expert at getting what she wanted.

And right now she wanted him, and he was acutely aware of it; he could feel her eyes trained upon him, burning holes through him as she watched him. Her voice was like liquid velvet as she spoke. "I didn't know you were into DJing."

"It's been kind of a secret hobby of mine," he confided to her, after he had torn it up on a turntable on stage. He had been greeted with enthuastic applause as he leapt down into the audience, being overwhelmed with compliments on his skills before she had intercepted him.

"You're very talented," she told him.

"I know."

Rouge skipped over his arrogance like she hadn't heard him. "What else are you good at?"

"Saving your boyfriend's butt," he said, before he could stop himself. He knew it was rather tactless by the way he saw the flicker of irritation in her face, but he wasn't sure he cared. She quickly re-arranged the look, plastic smile sidling back in place. Meanwhile, Sonic caught one of the drink-girl's attention, taking two shots from her tray as she squeezed herself between them, making a beeline for a table nearby. Sonic offered one of the glasses to Rouge.

"Such a gentleman," she said wryly, all grievances forgotten. "Cheers." She lifted her glass to meet Sonic's, clinking them against one another before throwing her's back like a pro. She returned her twinkling gaze to the cobalt hedgehog, watching him curiously. "I didn't know you drank."

"I don't," Sonic told her evenly. "This one is for you too." He held it out in offering, holding out his other hand so that she could trade him her empty one. She looked slightly insulted by his remark, and her gaze turned frosty.

"Think I'm a drunk, do you?" she asked him tartly.

"Where's Knuckles?" Sonic asked. Her demeanor immediately changed.

"Who's 'Knuckles'?" she inquired, batting those long exotic eyelashes at him in an unconvincing display of innocence. Sonic sighed, tapping his foot.

"C'mon Rouge, don't play dumb with me," he shook his head. "I may not have the cunning intellect necessary to become a secret agent or whatever you are," his voice was laden with a certain amount of sarcasm, "but I'm certainly no idiot. And I _definitely_ don't screw over my friends by helping their girlfriends cheat on them. It's a real no-no with the Dude Code. So if you think want to try your hand at the blue blur, I want some answers. Stat."

"So you're interested, then?" she asked slyly.

"I'm not telling you anything until you tell me where Knux is."

"Please. Knuckles wouldn't be caught_dead_ in a club," Rouge said, her voice superbly disdainful. "Partying isn't really his style. Not like us, anyway." When Sonic appeared unconvinced, she sighed and the cool facade broke away just a little. "Fine. We broke up, okay? Are you happy?"

The short answer was 'no'. Sonic stared at her, trying to detect any source of apparent deception. "What happened?"

"What do you think? A virginal, isolated, socially awkward echidna paired up with a beautiful, classy, international spy? What could _possibly_ go wrong there?"

"Your humility is your best quality," Sonic observed with a snort.

"Don't patronize me, hedgehog. Think about it. Did you honestly see it working out?"

"You never know. Opposites attract." Sonic gave a half-hearted shrug.

"Attract, and then eventually repel. It was a passing infatuation." She gave a little dissapointed sigh, and when she returned her attention to Sonic, the look she wore was undeniably mischevious. "In the meantime, I've moved on to bigger, better things."

Sonic was almost afraid to ask. "Like what?"

"I'm trying to find my Equal," Rouge purred, taking a step forward, bridging the gap between them. They were alarmingly close to one another now and he could smell the vodka on her breath as Rouge leaned forward, giving Sonic a perfect, un-obscured view of her ample cleavage. He wasn't sure if this was on intentional or not - either way, he tried his best to ignore her most obvious assetts, reeling backwards as he tried to put as much distance between them as possible. Rouge continued to follow him as he backtracked, and eventually he found himself with his back against the wall of the club. He could feel the vibrations of the music through the plaster and wood, giving him strange shivers of delight. Rouge was now wearing a look that could best be described as 'predatory'.

He snapped his head from side-to-side, well-aware that he was closed in on all sides by throngs of mingling party-goers. Despite the sheer magnitude of people, there was a certain intimacy between Rouge and him. Everyone else seemed oblivious to what was just about to take place and Sonic felt a chaotic mixture of dread and anticipation. There was no denying that Rouge was attractive; no denying that there was some element of allure, something that dismissed such notions of common sense and free-will. The smoky look of her eyes and perfect hue of her painted lips were enough to tug at the edges of his mind, slowly rendering him defenseless until she was ready to move in for the kill.

"So, uh," Sonic said, flattening himself further against the wall, as if he could somehow become one with it through osmosis. He desperately tried to buy himself time, mentally willing himself not to fall victim to this smoldering temptress. Slowly he could feel his resolve crumbling, his defenses being stripped away from him one-by-one. "How's that going for you, huh?"

She gave a slow, leering smile, and he knew he had fallen directly into her trap. "We're about to find out." She took him by the shoulders and steered him close. As her face loomed above his own by mere centimetres Sonic involuntary winced and then closed his eyes, torn between reluctance and desire. Their lips were so close, just about to touch -

- And then suddenly Rouge's ears perked forward as the song changed. Sonic opened his eyes as she swiveled her head in the direction of the stage. "I love this song."

"Do you?" Sonic said, sighing in relief. He gently pried her fingers loose from his shoulders, and the spell was broken. She quirked an eyebrow at him and, thinking quickly, Sonic said, "dance with me."

"What?"

"Dance with me," Sonic said, seizing her by the arm and dragging her towards the stage. To his surprise, Rouge seemed to be trying to resist him. "What's wrong?" he asked her curiously.

"Sonic, I can't!"

"Why?" he quirked one eyebrow.

"I... I..." Rouge struggled with the words, all traces of seduction gone. She looked embarassed and awkward and a little out-of-place. "I have two left feet!" she cried out at last, face contorted in apparent anguish.

Sonic felt a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You're kidding."

"No, I'm not!" Her fearful expression was almost comedic. "I have no rhythm whatsoever. I would make that wretched echidna look graceful." This was no small feat, considering Knuckles had enormous feet with outrageously heavy and ridiculous-looking shoes. Sonic had to resist the urge of laughing outright.

"No joke?" he asked. The bat feebly nodded and Sonic shrugged. "Oh well, there's a first time for everything. C'mon, I'll show you how." Rouge looked stricken, blanching as she was forcibly pulled across the dance floor. Sonic released her when they had reached the center of it, keeping a close eye on her so she wouldn't make a break for it. Rouge was frozen to the spot, absolutely refusing to move. "Stop being such a stick in the mud," Sonic said, giving her a little light-hearted shove to get her moving. The bat stumbled and threw him a filthy look, but under the expectant scrutiny of his gaze, she had no choice but to obey.

And so, the tables had been turned. It was now Sonic who was pulling _her_ strings, and he did so with relish. Rouge was deliberately avoiding her gaze as she tried her best to respond to his demands. As Sonic watched, he thought she was actually quite good - the only problem was that her moves were a little stiff and robotic; she was too selfconscious. The manner in which she conducted herself now was the complete opposite of how it was a few minutes ago: the contrast made them seem like two entirely different people. This was Rouge as she really was, when she wasn't wearing a perfectly crafted persona, a mask in which to hide her identity: this was Rouge defenseless, awkward, undeniably alien. Sonic liked it.

After the song ended, Sonic decided he had tortured her enough and cut her loose. "C'mon," he said, abandoning the role of puppeteer altogether. "Let's get you another drink." Rouge looked deeply grateful as she followed him back to the bar.

"What do you want?" She was smirking at him, and he rolled his eyes. "Let me guess. A Blowjob, right?"

Rouge burst out laughing. "Contrary to popular belief, not everything is an innuendo with me, Sonic." She squeezed past him, securing a place at the bar beside him. "Yoo-hoo! Bartender," she said, pursing her lips and batting her eyelashes until she got his attention.

"Whaddya want, doll-face?"

"A Long Island Iced Tea for myself, and a Shirley Temple for my little friend over here." She threw a wink in Sonic's direction.

"No prob," Sonic said, looking nonplussed by the jibe she had aimed at him. The two of them leaned against the bar as their drinks were prepared. "I'm secure enough in my masculinity, thanks."

"Oh, I can tell," Rouge said mockingly. "No wife, no girlfriend, no apparent love-interest. Yet thousands of female admirers. You could have your pick of the litter and yet here you are, still single. Care to explain that one to me, then?"

"I know what you're insinuating," Sonic said dryly, grabbing his drink as it was set down on the counter before him. He took a sip. "And you couldn't be further from the truth. Just because someone isn't succeptible to your charms, Rouge, doesn't automatically make them gay."

"Oh, but _you_ were succeptible to them, hedgehog," Rouge said airly, knocking back some of her own alcoholic beverage. "There was that moment when you were vulnerable. Don't think I didn't notice."

"I don't get it, then. Doesn't that answer your own question?"

Rouge's chest wobbled a little as she shrugged her slender shoulders. "We all have a lapse in judgment sometime."

"And _maybe_ you're just kidding yourself. Maybe the fact that I put up such a fantastic display of resistance offends and worries you." Sonic downed the rest of his glass. "_Maybe_ you don't want to think that your game was off tonight."

"I could have you if you wanted."

"There where was a moment where I had _you_. Out there on the dance floor," Sonic returned evenly, deliberately ignoring the outraged look on her face as he beckoned the bartender over to refill his glass. "You were completely at the mercy of my whims."

Rouge had gone crimson. "That is not the same thing!"

"Isn't it, though? I can see why you do it. The whole puppeteer thing, I mean. It can be be empowering," Sonic said, fishing the cherry out of the bottom of his glass. He tossed it in his mouth and rolled it around with his tongue. After a few minutes he retracted the cherry stem, completely severed and tied neatly into a not. He held it up between two fingers so Rouge could see it. "I'm not as weak as you think, Rouge. Maybe I was playing you as much as you were playing me." He tossed the stem aside. "There was a moment back there, where you were stripped and completely unguarded. It was a battle of wits back there, your's against mine. And you know what I think?" He leaned forward and before Rouge was sure of what had happened, Sonic's lips grazed her own in a very chaste kiss. "I think I won. Thanks for the drink, Rouge." The bat was completely dumbstruck as he stood up and abandoned his stool completely, turning his back to her and disappearing into the crowd beyond.

Rouge watched him go, trying to regather her wits. She was aware that she was blushing, her lips still warm from where they had made contact with his own. She raised her hand to touch them absently, her mind an ocean of turmoil.

Game, set, match.


End file.
